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Eight suspects, including 2 tribal priests, arrested in Jharkhand lynching case
A total of 16 people have been booked in the case. Police believe the two tribal priests were the main conspirators of the crime.
The Jharkhand Police on Monday arrested eight suspects, including two tribal priests, in connection with the alleged lynching of four senior citizens in Gumla district, a senior police official said.
A total of 16 people have been booked in the case. Police believe the two tribal priests were the main conspirators of the crime.
Four people in their 60s, including two women, were killed after around a dozen angry villagers dragged them out of their houses and attacked them with sticks and sharp weapons while accusing them of practising “witchcraft” at Siskari in Jharkhand’s Gumla district on Sunday.
The victims were identified as Suna Oraon (65), Phagni Oraon (60), Chapa Oraon (65) and his wife Piri Devi (62).
“Sixteen people have been named accused in the case. We have so far arrested eight people in this connection. A search operation is on to nab rest of the accused,” Anjani Kumar Jha, Gumla superintendent of police, said.
The eight arrested include Sukra Oraon (tribal priest of the village), Tula Oraon (junior priest), Lalu Oraon, Ram Oraon, Shuku Oraon, Mahabir Oraon, Kundru Oraon and Jhadi Oraon.
“The priests seemed to be the main conspirators in killing of four elderly people,” the SP said.
All the 16 people have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly) and 302 (murder) of Indian Panel Code (IPC) and sections 3 (identification of witch) and 4 (damages of causing harms), the police said.
Investigations revealed that a boy named Bolo Oraon had died of some unknown disease around a fortnight back and some villagers spread a rumour that Suna Oraon had killed him using “black magic”.
“Villagers led by the two tribal priests held a meeting in the village. It was rumoured that Suna Oraon, Chapa Oraon, Piri Oraon and Phaguni Devi had practised occultism and sacrificed a goat at a deity’s place,” Jha said.
Following this rumour, a group of villagers got together on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday and chalked out a strategy, the SP said.
“The same night, the group of villagers dragged the four elderly people out of their homes and beat them to death with sticks,” Jha said.
When asked whether the police have taken any initiative to stop such incidents, Jha said they had been organizing several awareness programmes against superstitions.
“In last 15 days, we have organized three workshops in Gumla, six in Chainpur and four in Basia... In coming days, similar programmes would be organized at police station and panchayat level so that such incidents are not repeated in future,” Jha said.
